The mobility of wheel chaired persons has become an important consideration, so that their participation in society can be fulfilled. In addition to horizontal transport it is necessary to ascend to elevated levels, for example to the various floors of building structures and the like; and for this purpose escalators are employed. However, escalators comprising an inclined or declined series of treads or flights that are linked in an endless belt have been devoid of features that will permit the transport of wheel chairs thereon, it being a general object of this invention to provide a wheel chair and escalator combination whereby wheel chaired persons can ascend and descend between structure levels serviced thereby.
Wheel chairs are characteristically a collapsible framework comprised of a pair of complementary side frames that separate to form a seat. Each frame has a main supporting wheel of large diameter and with a hand rim to be turned by the person seated thereon, and has a secondary leveling wheel of small diameter castered so as to permit steering. It is an object of this invention to coordinate the smaller leveling wheel with the inclination of the escalator stairs or flights in order to maintain a level condition of said wheel chair. In practice, the main supporting wheels engage one escalator flight while the leveling wheels engage the next lower flight. It is also an object to coordinate the leveling action of said leveling wheel with the degree of ascension and descension of the escalator flights as they depart from a structure level for UP and DOWN transport as the case may be.
The side frames of wheel chairs are necessarily narrow for collapsibility into a small space, there being cross bracing or a scissors-type means (not shown) to separate them in vertical alignment with respect to a supporting surface. It is an object of this invention to maintain the narrow configuration of the side frame and wheel assembly, while incorporating therein means by which the leveling wheels are controllably depressed in order to preserve a horizontal condition of the chair seat.
Heretofore, the wheeled carriage of wheel chairs have maintained parallelism with respect to the supporting surface. With the present invention it is an object to maintain a horizontal seat disposition with respect to offset supporting surfaces that are parallel. Accordingly, one wheeled support is controllably depressed with respect to the other, and preferably the front castered wheels are extended from the frames. In carrying out this invention, a lever means responsive to a track at the side wall of the escalator controllably depresses the wheels so as to engage them with the lowered escalator flight.
The wheeled support of a wheel chair upon vertically displaced flights of an escalator poses a problem with respect to safety. That is, an assurance that the wheel chair will remain positioned upon said flight to move therewith, and without rolling off and/or tumbling out of control. To this end, it is an object of this invention to provide reliable anchor means coordinated with the aforementioned lever means to capture the wheel chair in position for transport upon a pair of adjacent escalator flights.
The foregoing objectives are embodied in a wheel chair of conventional design, and adapted to manual operation by the person transported thereby. The escalator is provided with cooperative tracking means and anchor means, and motion control means, whereby anchored engagement of the wheel chair to the escalator can be established. To this end, gate positions are established where the wheel chair is engageable with a flight of the escalator, by slowing or stopping the escalator momentarily for coupling to said anchor means. In practice, switch means are provided for sequential stopping (slowing) and starting of the escalator in the reception of wheel chaired persons for transport thereby. The release of the wheel chair from the escalator flights is automatic, it being an object herein to provide means by which the anchor means releases at the discharge end of the escalator.
It is a general object of this invention to provide simple, practical and durable means incorporated in a conventional wheel chair to accomplish the aforesaid objectives, and to provide complementary features in the escalator mechanism which are safe and acceptable. The relationship of wheel chair and escalator features is uncomplicated and characterized by direct and positive rules of action.